There are many on Usenet who attempt to corrupt the Word of God.

There are many on Usenet who attempt to corrupt the Word of God.
Fortunately for the most part there have been more Christians well versed
in scriptural orthodoxy to expose those false teachers and show what the
Bible truly teaches.

There are many on Usenet who attempt to corrupt the Word of God.

There are many on Usenet who attempt to corrupt the Word of God.

There are many on Usenet who attempt to corrupt the Word of God. Fortunately
for the most part there have been more Christians well versed in scriptural
orthodoxy to expose those false teachers and show what the Bible truly
teaches. False teachers and heretics have been around even during Biblical
times and obviously are still here today. John Wesley preached against such
heretics and heresies in the following sermon.

May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/

On Corrupting The Word Of God
by John Wesley

"We are not as many, who corrupt the word of God: But as of sincerity, but
as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." 2 Cor 2:17.

[1.] Many have observed, that nothing conduces more to a Preacher's success
with those that hear him, than a general good opinion of his sincerity.
Nothing gives him a greater force of persuasion than this; nothing creates
either a greater attention in the hearers or a greater disposition to
improve. When they really believe he has no end in speaking, but what he
fairly carries in view, and that he is willing that they should see all the
steps he takes for the attainment of that end, - it must give them a strong
presumption, both that what he seeks is good, and the method in which he
seeks it.

[2.] But how to possess them with this belief is the question. How shall we
bring them to take notice of our sincerity, if they do not advert to it of
themselves? One good way, however common, is, frankly and openly to profess
it. There is something in these professions, when they come from the heart,
strongly insinuating into the hearts of others. The persons of any
generosity that hear them find themselves almost forced to believe them; and
even those who believe them not are obliged in prudence, not to let their
incredulity appear, since it is a known rule, - the honester any man is, the
less apt is he to suspect another. The consequence whereof is plain: Whoever
without proof, is suspicious of his neighbour's sincerity, gives a probable
proof that he judges of his heart from the falseness of his own.

[3.] Would not any man be tempted to suspect his integrity, who, without
proof, suspected the want of it in another, that had fairly and openly
professed the principles on which he acted? Surely none, but who himself
corrupted the word of God, or wished that it were corrupted, could lightly
suspect either St. Paul of doing it, or any that after him should use his
generous declaration: "We are not as many, who corrupt the word of God: But
as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

[4.] Not that the Apostle, any more than his followers in preaching the
gospel, desires they should wholly rely on his words; for afterwards he
appeals to his actions to confirm them. And those who in this can imitate
him need not entreat men to believe their sincerity. If our works bear the
stamp of it, as well as our words, both together will speak so loudly and
plainly, every unprejudiced person must understand that we speak in Christ,
as in sincerity, and that in so doing we consider we are in the sight of
that God whose commission we bear.

[5.] Those whom the Apostle accuses of the contrary practice, of corrupting
the word of God, seem to have been Jews, who owning Jesus to be Christ, and
his gospel to be divine, yet adulterated it, by intermingling with it the
law of Moses, and their own traditions. And in doing this, their principal
view was to make a gain of Christ; which, consequently, laid them under a
necessity of concealing the end they proposed, as well as the means they
used to obtain it. On the contrary, those who intend the good of mankind,
are by no means concerned to hide their intentions. If the benefit we
propose in speaking be to ourselves, it is often our interest to keep it
private. If the benefit we propose be to others, it is always our interest
to make it public; and it is the interest both of ourselves and others, to
make public those marks of distinction whence may clearly be known who
corrupt the word of God, and who preach it in sincerity.

[I. 1.] The First and great mark of one who corrupts the word of God, is,
introducing into it human mixtures; either the errors [heresies] of others,
or the fancies of his own brain. To do this, is to corrupt it in the highest
degree; to blend with the oracles of God, impure dreams, fit only for the
mouth of the devil! And yet it has been so frequently done, that scarce ever
was any erroneous [heretical] opinion either invented or received, but
Scripture was quoted to defend it.

[2.] And when the imposture was too bare-faced, and the text cited for it
appeared too plainly either to make against it, or to be nothing to the
purpose, then recourse has usually been had to a Second method of corrupting
it, by mixing it with false interpretations. And this is done, sometimes by
repeating the words wrong; and sometimes by repeating them right, but
putting a wrong sense upon them; one that is either strained and unnatural,
or foreign to the writer's intention in the place from whence they are
taken; perhaps contrary either to his intention in that very place, or to
what he says in some other part of his writings. And this is easily
effected: Any passage is easily perverted, by being recited singly, without
any of the preceding or following verses. By this means it may often seem to
have one sense, when it will be plain, by observing what goes before and
what follows after, that it really has the direct contrary: For want of
observing which, unwary souls are liable to be tossed about with every wind
of doctrine, whenever they fall into the hand of those who have enough of
wickedness and cunning, thus to adulterate what they preach, and to add now
and then a plausible comment to make it go down the more easily.

[3.] A Third sort of those who corrupt the Word of God, though in a lower
degree than either of the former, are those who do so, not by adding to it,
but taking from it; who take either of the spirit or substance of it away,
while they study to prophesy only smooth things, and therefore palliate and
colour what they preach, to reconcile it to the taste of the hearers. And
that they may do this the better, they commonly let those parts go that will
admit of no colouring. They wash their hands of those stubborn texts that
will not bend to their purpose, or that too plainly touch on the reigning
vices of the place where they are. These they exchange for those more soft
and tractable ones, that are not so apt to give offence. Not one word must
be said of the tribulation and anguish denounced against sinners in general;
much less of the unquenchable fire, which, if God be true, awaits several of
those particular offences that have fallen within their own notice. These
tender parts are not to be touched without danger by them who study to
recommend themselves to men; or, if they are, it must be with the utmost
caution, and a nice evasion in reserve. But they safely may thunder against
those who are out of their reach, and against those sins which they suppose
none that hear them are guilty of. No one takes it to heart, to hear those
practices laid open which he is not concerned in himself. But when the
stroke comes home, when it reaches his own case, then is he, if not
convinced, displeased, or angry, and out of patience.

These are the methods of those corrupters of the word, who act in the sight
of men, not of God. He trieth the hearts, and will receive no service in
which the lips only are concerned. But their words have no intercourse with
their thoughts. Nor is it proper for them that they should. For if their
real intention once appeared, it must make itself unsuccessful. They
purpose, it is true, to do good by the gospel of Christ; but it is to
themselves, not to others. Whereas they that use sincerity in preaching the
gospel, in the good of others seek their own. And that they are sincere, and
speak as commissioned officers, in the sight of Him whose commission they
bear, plainly appears from the direct contrariety between their practice,
and that of the dissemblers above described.

[II. 1.] First. Consider, it is not their own word they preach, but the word
of Him that sent them. They preach it genuine and unmixed. As they do not
only profess, but really believe, that, "if any man add unto the word of
God, He will add unto him all the plagues that are written in it," they are
fearful of doing it in the least instance. You have the gospel from them, if
in a less elegant manner, yet fair, and as it is; without any mixture of
errors [heresy] to pollute it, or misinterpretation to perplex it;

[2.] explained in the most natural, obvious manner, by what precedes and
what follows the place in question; and commented on by the most sure way,
the least liable to mistake or corruption, the producing of those parallel
places that express the same thing the more plainly.

[3.] In the next place, they are as cautious of taking from, as of adding
to, the word they preach. They dare no more, considering in whose sight they
stand, say less, than [or] more, than He has assigned them. They must
publish, as proper occasions offer, all that is contained in the oracles of
God; whether smooth or otherwise, it matters nothing, since it is
unquestionably true, and useful too: "For all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God; and is profitable either for doctrine, or reproof, or
correction, or instruction in righteousness," - either to teach us what we
are to believe or practise, or for conviction of error, reformation of vice.
They know that there is nothing superfluous in it, relating either to faith
or practice; and therefore they preach all parts of it, though those more
frequently and particularly which are more particularly wanted where they
are. They are so far from abstaining to speak against any vice because it is
fashionable and in repute in the place Providence has allotted them; but for
that very reason they are more zealous in testifying against it. They are so
far from abstaining from speaking for any virtue because it is unfashionable
and in disrepute where they are placed, that they therefore the more
vigorously recommend it.

[4.] Lastly. They who speak in sincerity, and as in the sight of Him who
deputes them, show that they do so, by the manner in which they speak. They
speak with plainness and boldness, and are not concerned to palliate their
doctrine, to reconcile it to the tastes of men. They endeavour to set it
always in a true light, whether it be a pleasing one or not. They will not,
they dare not, soften a threatening, so as to prejudice its strength,
neither represent sin in such mild colours as to impair its native
blackness. Not that they do not choose mildness, when it is likely to be
effectual. Though they know "the terrors of the Lord," they desire rather to
"persuade men." This method they use, and love to use it, with such as are
capable of persuasion. With such as are not, they are obliged, if they will
be faithful, to take the severer course. Let the revilers look to that; it
harms not them: and if they are blamed or reviled for so doing, let the
revilers look to that: Let the hearers accommodate themselves to the word;
the word is not, in this sense, to be accommodated to the hearers. The
Preacher of it would be no less in fault, in a slavish obsequiousness on one
side, than in an unrelenting sternness on the other.

[III. 1.] If, then, we have spoken the word of God, the genuine unmixed word
of God, and that only; if we have put no unnatural interpretation upon it,
but [have] taken the known phrases in their common, obvious sense, - and
when they were less known, explained scripture by scripture; if we have
spoken the whole word, as occasion offered, though rather the parts which
seemed most proper to give a check to some fashionable vice, or to encourage
the practice of some unfashionable virtue; and if we have done this plainly
and boldly, though with all the mildness and gentleness that the nature of
the subject will bear; - then, believe ye our works, if not our words; or
rather, believe them both together. Here is all a Preacher can do; all the
evidence that he either can or need give of his good intentions. There is no
way but this to show he speaks as of sincerity, as commissioned by the Lord,
and as in his sight. If there be any who, after all this, will not believe
that it is his concern, not our own, we labour for; that our first intention
in speaking, is to point him the way to happiness, and to disengage him from
the great road that leads to misery; we are clear of the blood of that
man; - it rests on his own head. For thus saith the Lord, who hath set us as
watchmen over the souls of our countrymen and brethren: "If thou warn the
wicked of his way to turn from it;" - much more if we use all methods
possible to convince him that the warning is of God; - "if he do not turn
from his way," - which certainly he will not, if he do not believe that we
are in earnest, - "he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered
thine own soul."

There are many on Usenet who attempt to corrupt the Word of God.

May God bless,

Carl